Runners prepare for the 40th running of the Indy Mini

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Runners prepare for the 40th running of the Indy Mini

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 6, 2016) — This historic year of racing in Indianapolis is drawing in some stars of the running world and bringing them together with car racing champions.

Tony Kanaan stopped by the Indy Mini expo at the downtown convention center Friday afternoon to say hello to fans, sign autographs and take pictures. He also picked up his racing bib since he’ll be running the Mini for the first time Saturday morning.

Kanaan has run in many half-marathons, but says he couldn’t miss being a part of two historic races—the 40th running of the Indy Mini and the 100th running of the Indy 500.

“Indianapolis is my second home,” said Kanaan. “My wife’s from here, we spend a lot of time here. So, I’ll be able to tell my kids that I was, that I made part of the Indy 40th half marathon and the 100th Indy 500 in the same year.”

Kanaan met and chatted with Olympic marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi. They both were surprised to learn they’re each fans of the other.

Keflezighi is an Olympic marathon silver medalist and member of the 2016 US Olympic team. He won the Boston Marathon in 2014 and was the first American man to do so in three decades. That medal made Keflezighi the only person to ever win the Boston Marathon, New York Marathon and an Olympic medal.

For the Indy Mini, he plans to mingle with runners of all abilities by not starting at the front of the pack with the elite runners.

“I’m starting in Corral 5, all the way from the back and I’m going to be able to interact with the crowd,” Keflezighi said. “Some are walkers, some are running the half. I’m going to go through the Indy 500 track, so that should be very exciting.”

Like Kanaan, he’s not running this race to make a new personal best, but to spend time with fans. They both plan to cheer on and take selfies with any runners who ask.

If you haven’t picked up your race day packet, you have until 9 p.m. Friday to do so from the expo at the convention center. For more information, click here.

For those not running the race, you still need to be aware of road closures in the area, some of which begin at 6 p.m. Friday night. You can find the full map of those here.